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Boris Johnson 'to resign by the weekend' if Theresa May rejects his Brexit demands - reports Boris Johnson denies he is preparing to resign if Theresa May rejects his Brexit demands
(35 minutes later)
Boris Johnson has hinted he could walk away from his Cabinet post amid a growing row over Theresa May’s Brexit strategy. Boris Johnson has denied reports he is preparing to walk away from his Cabinet post amid a growing row over Theresa May’s Brexit strategy.
The Foreign Secretary failed to rule out resigning after intervening days before Ms May was due to deliver a key Brexit speech in Italy with a 4,000 word newspaper article outlining his personal vision for the EU divorce. Reports said the Foreign Secretary was contemplating resignation if Mrs May's key Brexit speech in Italy on Friday contained measures he could not accept.
He reportedly told friends he would have to leave the frontbench if the Prime Minister accepted a Swiss-style arrangement where Britain would continue to pay for access to the single market after Brexit, according to The Telegraph. Mr Johnson wrote a 4,000-word newspaper article outlining his personal vision for the EU divorce at the weekend, wrongfooting Downing Street and prompting some to interpret it as a leadership bid.
After days of speculation over Cabinet splits, Ms May dismissed questions over her Tory colleague's views, saying: "This government is driven from the front." He reportedly told friends he would have to leave the front bench if the Prime Minister accepted a Swiss-style arrangement where Britain would continue to pay for access to the single market after Brexit, according to The Telegraph.
The pair were expected to meet for the first time on Tuesday since the publication of the article, which was seen by some as an example of his leadership ambitions, as they were both due to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York. However, when caught on the way back from a run in New York, he dismissed the reports.
Asked about whether he would resign, Mr Johnson said: “I think you might be slightly barking up the wrong tree here.” "Of course not," he said when asked whether he would resign. "We're going to deliver a fantastic Brexit, we're working together to make sure that Britain can take advantage of all the opportunities that Brexit provides."
He later told reporters: "When the burden of office is lifted from my shoulders I will of course look back with great pride on my time doing all sorts of things." The day before Ms May also moved to dismiss questions over her Tory colleague's views, saying: "This government is driven from the front."
The pair are expected to meet for the first time since the publication of the article at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Officials said the pair had no formal meeting scheduled on Tuesday, but they are both expected to attend a reception for Commonwealth leaders in the evening.Officials said the pair had no formal meeting scheduled on Tuesday, but they are both expected to attend a reception for Commonwealth leaders in the evening.
The Foreign Secretary's repeated interventions have dominated the run-up to a crucial Brexit speech being delivered by Mrs May in Italy on Friday. Speculation about the Foreign Secretary's future has dominated the run-up to Mrs May's speech on Friday.
Billed as the PM's most important update to the Government's position since her Lancaster House address in January, the Florence speech is thought likely to include an attempt to break the deadlock over the UK's financial settlement.Billed as the PM's most important update to the Government's position since her Lancaster House address in January, the Florence speech is thought likely to include an attempt to break the deadlock over the UK's financial settlement.
Speculation has been mounting she will offer to pay tens of billions of pounds to the EU during a two to three-year transition deal after the UK's formal exit in 2019.Speculation has been mounting she will offer to pay tens of billions of pounds to the EU during a two to three-year transition deal after the UK's formal exit in 2019.
Mr Johnson has argued that Britain should not continue to pay for access to European markets and said remaining in the single market and the customs union would "make a mockery" of the referendum result.Mr Johnson has argued that Britain should not continue to pay for access to European markets and said remaining in the single market and the customs union would "make a mockery" of the referendum result.